Caste Census In India / The date of caste census in the country has come out, it will be completed in two phases

The date for caste census in India has been fixed. It will be done in two phases—the first phase will be in Uttarakhand, Himachal, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir from October 1, 2026, while the second phase will be in other states from March 1, 2027. This will bring out the data of various castes including OBCs and will help in policy making.

Caste Census In India: The debate going on for years regarding caste census in India has now reached a decisive turn. According to sources, the caste census will be conducted in two phases, starting from October 1, 2026. In the first phase, this process will start in hilly states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, while the second phase will start from March 1, 2027, which will be completed in the plains.

Why is caste census necessary?

It is a constitutional process to conduct census every ten years in India, which was last calculated in the year 2011. The next census was proposed in 2021, but it was postponed due to the Kovid-19 epidemic. It is worth noting that there has been no caste-wise census in India since 1931, although figures based on the number of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are still recorded. There is no concrete government data on the population of Other Backward Classes (OBC), due to which there remains ambiguity about the reservation policy.

Counting will be done in two phases

This decision regarding caste census has been taken recently by the central government. In the first phase, counting will start in the hilly states - Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Ladakh - from October 2026. After this, in the second phase, caste census will be conducted in the rest of the states from March 2027. This two-tier system has been prepared keeping in mind the geographical conditions.

Historical background

In India, caste data was regularly included in the census from 1881 to 1931. But in 1951, caste count was formally stopped for the first time after independence. Data was collected in 2011 under the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), but they did not become part of the official census and could not be used in comprehensive policy decisions.

Caste Census: What and Why?

Caste census is an important process in which it is found out how much population of which caste or social group is there, what is their socio-economic status, and which sections are getting the benefits of government schemes or not. This brings transparency and effectiveness in policy making, reservation system, and equitable distribution of resources.